A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device with a bonus scheme wherein players receive a reward for selecting certain symbols and an increased reward for selecting symbols which are related to one another.
Gaming machines currently exist with bonus schemes in which the player has one or more opportunities to choose a particular selection or symbol from a group of symbols. When a player chooses a symbol, the bonus scheme will either award the player with a bonus value or terminate the bonus round. The outcome depends upon the particular symbol selected by the player.
When the player selects a symbol which awards a bonus value, the player receives bonus credits, and the player has another chance to select another symbol. Each time the player selects a symbol which awards a bonus value, the bonus scheme typically displays a message for the player to continue. This message means that the bonus round continues and the player may now choose another symbol. The player then selects another symbol, and this process continues until the player selects a bonus round terminator which terminates the bonus round. European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. discloses a bonus scheme generally of this type.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new bonus schemes where the players have multiple opportunities to receive winning payouts. In particular, it is desirable to incorporate the excitement of matching games, such as the traditional xe2x80x9cgo fishxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cconcentrationxe2x80x9d card games into bonus schemes. As players select certain items out of a large array of items, players feel a heightened experience of anticipation and excitement which they do not experience with many currently existing bonus schemes.
The present invention overcomes the above shortcomings by providing a gaming device and method which provides players with an increased reward for locating certain symbols which are related to each other. The term xe2x80x9csymbolxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means any image or sound in any form. The term xe2x80x9crelatedxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means belonging to a predetermined set for any logical or illogical reason, including, without limitation, because of identical or matching images, visual characteristics or sounds. The term xe2x80x9cexhibitxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means to visually display, audibly play or display or play in audio, visual or audio-visual form.
The bonus scheme of the present invention provides a player with a plurality of selections. Each selection is associated with its own symbol. The game conceals which symbol is associated with each selection. When a player chooses a selection, the game exhibits one or more symbols associated with the selection using a display device. Preferably, the majority of the symbols are related to other symbols. Certain symbols, which are preferably unrelated to any other symbol, when exhibited by the game, will terminate the bonus round (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cterminating symbolsxe2x80x9d). However, it should be appreciated that the bonus scheme could include certain non-terminating symbols which are not related to any other symbol. Whenever the game exhibits any nonterminating symbol (whether related or unrelated), preferably the game will award the player with a bonus value (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cbasic valuexe2x80x9d) and then continue the bonus round. When the game exhibits a symbol which is related to another exhibited symbol, the game will award the player with a bonus value in an amount greater than any basic value (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cmatch valuexe2x80x9d) and then continue the bonus round. Depending upon which selection the player chooses, the game may award the player with a basic value, match value, a combination of the two, or the bonus round may terminate.
Preferably all of the symbols used in any particular bonus round includes one terminating symbol which is not related to any other symbol, and a plurality of non-terminating symbols which are related to at least one other symbol. Preferably, the related symbols are separately paired. For example, two related symbols can have the same shape, make the same sound, have the same color, or be of a dual set (i.e., a horse and a buggy).
In operation, a player chooses a selection. If the game exhibits a non-terminating symbol, preferably the game awards the player with a basic value. As long as the player avoids a terminating symbol, after each choice the player chooses another selection. Whenever the player chooses a selection associated with a non-terminating symbol, preferably the game awards the player with another basic value. In addition, if at any time, symbols which the game has thus far exhibited are related, the game awards the player with a match value.
As long as the player does not choose a selection associated with a terminating symbol, the game enables the player to choose another selection. The player will receive any basic values and match values as appropriate. This process continues until the player ultimately chooses a selection associated with a terminating symbol or until the player chooses all of the related symbols.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the selections are represented by squares in a grid. Each square is identical in appearance. A player chooses a selection by xe2x80x9ctouchingxe2x80x9d a square on a touch screen, and the game exhibits a symbol.
The symbols may be represented by characters which appear in the squares, including people and animals. In one preferred embodiment, the non-terminating symbols consist of characters in pairs. Characters which are related to one another are paired with one another. Preferably, the characters in a pair have an identical appearance.
The terminating symbol is represented by an unmatched character (i.e., which is not paired with any other character). In addition, it is preferable that the bonus scheme includes a relationship table displayed on a screen. The relationship table is a source of information for the player which illustrates the match value corresponding to each character.
In operation, a player chooses a square and a character appears. If the character is the unmatched character, preferably the game awards the player with a basic value, and then the bonus round terminates. If the character is not the unmatched character, the game awards the player with a basic value and enables the player to choose another square.
As the player continues to choose squares (avoiding the unmatched character), whenever the game exhibits a pair of characters, the game awards the player with a match value. This process continues with additional choices until the player chooses a square associated with the unmatched character.
As long as the player avoids the unmatched character, the player will receive basic values and match values as appropriate. Eventually, the player will choose a square associated with the unmatched character, and the bonus round will terminate. The game then awards the player with any basic value, match value and credits which the player gained.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device with a bonus scheme which provides an increased reward for selecting symbols which are related to one another.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a gaming device wherein the player, desiring to locate related symbols, must decide which selection to choose out of a relatively large array of selections.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a gaming device and method wherein the player experiences anticipation and excitement when contemplating which selection to choose out of a relatively large array of selections.